Academy Notebook: Rangers win Cat Osterman Softball Academy Winter Invitational; David Hogg II & Nicholas Smith attend DREAM Series
Rangers Youth Academy crowned champions at Cat Osterman Softball Academy Winter Invitational
On Saturday, Jan. 6 and Sunday, Jan. 7, the Texas Rangers Youth Academy traveled to Austin, Texas, with 14 of its softball stars to compete in the Cat Osterman Softball Academy Winter Invitational.
The Rangers, led by standout players Amira Forbit (5 2B, HR, 8 RBI, 2.030 OPS), Giovanca Frias (2-0, 7.1 IP, 9 K, 1.91 ERA) and Savannah Robles (.667 AVG, 2 OF Assists), swept the competition last weekend, earning their first-ever Cat Osterman Softball Academy Winter Invitational Championship title after two consecutive runner-up finishes in 2022 and 2023.
In their four games against the Cat Osterman Softball Academy, Houston Astros Youth Academy and the San Antonio Saints, the Rangers outscored their opponents 36-8.
The 12-1 opening win against the Cat Osterman Softball Academy set the tone for game two's 9-2 victory over regional rivals the Houston Astros Youth Academy. On Sunday morning, their 9-3 win over the Saints, a late addition to the field of participating teams, secured the Rangers' perfect 3-0 record and the top seed in the championship game.
Houston earned the number two seed in the title game, but the Rangers were again able to keep the Astros bats at bay after a six-inning complete game from Frias and another dominant offensive performance to bring home the championship win with a 6-2 final score.
David Hogg II, Nicholas Smith to attend MLB’s 2024 DREAM Series
Major League Baseball announced earlier this week that two Texas Rangers Youth Academy baseball stars David Hogg II and Nicholas Smith will participate in the 2024 DREAM Series beginning Friday, Jan. 12, through Monday, Jan. 15.
Held in Tempe, Ariz., and now in its seventh year, the MLB and USA Baseball DREAM Series is a premiere amateur baseball development camp created to diversify the talent pool of minority pitchers and catchers.
The event will feature almost 80 of the top African American and Latino high school players from across the nation for elite-level instruction from former Major and Minor League players, managers and coaches.
Hogg, a Louisiana State University signee and 2024 MLB Draft prospect, has been a long-time participant in Major League Baseball’s development circuit and will return to the DREAM Series for the second consecutive year. Hogg’s fellow Rangers Youth Academy All-Star and class of 2026 rising star, Smith of Mansfield Timberview High School, will make his first appearance in the series.
MLB Network will follow this morning’s live two-hour broadcast from the DREAM Series with a new MLB Tonight: A Conversation program on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at 5 p.m. CT recapping the DREAM Series while featuring candid conversations about growing the game of baseball in the African American communities.